NC’s Homophobic Bathroom Bill Costs Charlotte NBA All-Star Game (WITH VIDEOS)

Ever since North Carolina passed a blatantly discriminatory law–popularly known as House Bill 2–which banned transgender people from using the bathroom aligned with their gender identity, businesses and entertainers have been fleeing the state in droves. Well, late Thursday afternoon, we learned North Carolina suffered its biggest loss yet as a result of this bathroom bill. The NBA announced that it’s pulling this upcoming season’s All-Star Game from Charlotte due to concerns about HB2.

Watch coverage of the announcement from WNCN in Raleigh here.

For those who don’t recall, the bill was enacted in a whirlwind special session after Charlotte passed an ordinance adding gender identity to its nondiscrimination ordinance. While my hometown has become one of the most LGBT-friendly cities in the South, there was not much it could do when the Republican-dominated General Assembly followed through on threats to repeal it. There is no home rule in North Carolina, and the legislature has somewhat more authority over local matters than other states with double-digit electoral votes.

As a result, assurances from local officials weren’t enough to stop the NBA from moving the game from Charlotte’s Time Warner Cable Arena, home of the Charlotte Hornets. Read the formal announcement here, via the NBA’s Twitter feed.

The NBA had already warned state and local officials that it was giving serious thought to moving the All-Star Game as long as HB2 was still on the books in its current form. The legislature had proposed cosmetic changes to the bathroom bill last month, which McCrory recently signed into law. However, the league had made it known loud and clear that they didn’t go nearly far enough. Its position was clear–it wants anyone who attends an NBA game to be able to use the bathroom associated with their gender identity.

Apparently, the tipping point in the NBA’s decision came during last week’s owners meetings. According to ESPN, Golden State Warriors gay chief operating officer Rick Welts, spoke about HB2’s impact and how it and similar bills could cause problems at All-Star Weekend. Welts is openly gay–one of the highest-ranking LGBT officials in sports.

Predictably, McCrory hit the ceiling. In a statement, he claimed the decision came because HB2’s opponents “misrepresented our laws and maligned the people of North Carolina.” He claimed that by punishing North Carolina for saying that “boys and girls should be able to use school bathrooms, locker rooms and showers without the opposite sex present,” the NBA and the rest of the “selective corporate elite” were “bypassing the democratic and legal process.”

McCrory doubled down on Friday morning, telling WFAE in Charlotte that the NBA’s move was “total P.C. BS.” Watch here, via WNCN.

One problem, Pat. Most North Carolinians think this bill is a loser. Every single poll from Raleigh-based Public Policy Polling–one of the most accurate pollsters in the business–has found that this bathroom bill is deeply unpopular, and that most North Carolinians think it has harmed the state. HB2 is only on the books because it was rammed through one of the most outrageously gerrymandered legislatures in the country.

Charlotte mayor Jennifer Roberts appears to be a lot closer to the sentiment of most North Carolinians, based on her statement on the move.

There have been concerns that other major sporting events could join the NBA in fleeing North Carolina. The NCAA, for instance, sent a pretty loud hint this spring that Charlotte and Greensboro could potentially be taken out of the NCAA basketball tournament’s rotation as long as HB2 is on the books.

However, the NBA seems to think that it won’t be long before sanity is restored. Notice how the NBA all but promised that Charlotte would get the 2019 All-Star Game? Apparently the league believes that by then, this bill will have been struck down–either by the legislature or the courts. That’s a distinct possibility, since the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, which covers North Carolina, has already handed transgender people two significant victories in recent months. In April, a Fourth Circuit panel sided with a transgender Virginia student who wanted to use the boys’ bathroom. The school district asked the full court to review the case, and was turned down.

There’s already at least one lawsuit pending against this bill, and precedent strongly suggests that this bathroom bill is blatantly unconstitutional. Sounds like the NBA is on to something.

(featured image: picture from author)

Darrell is a 30-something graduate of the University of North Carolina who considers himself a journalist of the old school. An attempt to turn him into a member of the religious right in college only succeeded in turning him into the religious right's worst nightmare--a charismatic Christian who is an unapologetic liberal. His desire to stand up for those who have been scared into silence only increased when he survived an abusive three-year marriage. You may know him on Daily Kos as Christian Dem in NC. Follow him on Twitter @DarrellLucus or connect with him on Facebook. Click here to buy Darrell a Mello Yello.